Teaching Opportunity – June 2012

CEE is pleased to provide you with Teaching Opportunity, our newsletter for educators. Each month we’ll provide new lessons, special promotions, news for teachers and tips for the classroom.

In This Issue:

Did you miss the 2012 Economics Challenge?

Join GATE today

Nominate a Teacher of the Year

New Teacher Resource: Entrepreneurship Economics

This Day in History

Professional Development Opportunities

Help us reach our $200,000 goal!

Download the Newsletter

Download a PDF copy of the June 2012 Teaching Opportunity Newsletter:

Did you miss the 2012 Economics Challenge?

Did you miss the live event last month? You can still watch the 2012 National Economics Challenge Finals here.

More than 1,500 high school teams in 33 states contended for a spot in the National Economics Championship in New York City. Finalist teams competed in the oral quiz bowl about complex economic concepts and theories of micro- and macroeconomics, international economics and current events.

Teams who competed to win the national title placed as follows:

Adam Smith division

Belmont High School, Belmont, MA – 1st Place

The Harker School, San Jose, CA – 2nd Place

Bellaire High School, Bellaire, TX – 3rd Place

Homewood-Flossmoor, Flossmoor, IL – 4th Place

David Ricardo division

Little Falls Community High School, Little Falls, MN – 1st Place

Carmel High School, Carmel, IN – 2nd Place

Iolani School, Honolulu, HI – 3rd Place

Michael E. DeBakey High School, Houston, TX – 4th Place

Interested in participating next year? For more information on the Challenge competition in your state, please contact your state coordinator.

Join GATE today

Comprised of teachers from around the world, the Global Association of Teachers of Economics is the one-stop resource for teachers with a zeal for economic, personal finance and entrepreneurship education.

Benefits of Becoming a GATE Member:

20% Discount on Council for Economic Education materials.

Save $100 off the registration fee for The Annual Financial Literacy and Economic Education Conference.

Regular updates on Council for Economic Education products and services.

Opportunity to connect with other economics and personal finance educators to share ideas, get tips about resources and other important topics.

Participate in peer discussion groups and research studies regarding important financial literacy and economic education issues.

Nominate a Teacher of the Year

GATE is accepting nominations for the GATE teachers of the year awards program. Named to honor one of the leading figures in the development of economic education, the John Morton Excellence in the Teaching of Economics Awards recognize excellence in teaching of economics and financial literacy. The awards honor teachers whose innovative teaching concepts improve and stimulate economic understanding. The awards program is open to all K-12 teachers that are GATE members. Any classroom teacher may use a self-nomination process or one may be nominated by other teachers, department chairs, principals and superintendents.

Awards will be given in three teaching categories:

Elementary (Grades K-4)

Middle/Junior High (Grades 5-8)

High School (Grades 9-12)

Join GATE today and nominate yourself or a teacher you know! Deadline to enter is June 30, 2012.

New Teacher Resource: Entrepreneurship Economics

Entrepreneurship Economics contains 11 lessons featuring student-centered instructional methods on economic activity and how entrepreneurs benefit society. This book provides the conceptual framework you need to cover entrepreneurship and economics topics in an engaging way, including case studies, activities and assessments.

Entrepreneurship Economics is aligned to the Voluntary National Standards in Economics, the National Standards in K-12 Personal Finance Education, the National Standards for Business Education, and the National Content Standards for Entrepreneurship Education.

This Day in History

The Calendar of Historical Events provides 365 days worth of historical facts and interesting developments in personal finance and economics. See what happened on this day in history, and use the related lessons in your classroom.

June 14, 1946
Donald Trump Born
On this day, real estate giant Donald Trump was born in New York. After gaining an MBA from Wharton School of Finance Trump got a job with his father. From there he made some smart business decisions and was soon buying and building some of the most lavish hotels and high-rise apartments in the country. After making millions in the 1980s Trump’s luck took a turn for the worse in the 1990s. But using his vast business knowledge Trump has begun rebuilding his empire.

June 18, 1998
Disney Enters the Internet
On this day in 1998 the Disney Co. bought 43% of stock into Infoseek Corp. to gain ground in the fledgling Internet Industry. After the overhaul was complete infoseek.com was replaced by newer graphics, and a catchier name, Go.com. This marked the first time an Internet portal company yielded profit.

Professional Development Opportunities

Improving economic education and financial literacy is at the forefront of today’s news. Improving teaching techniques and student engagement is at the top of your list for becoming a better educator.

The HSBC National Center for Economic and Financial Education has a robust summer schedule of free workshops. Join fellow teachers in New York City this summer to discover new lesson plans, teaching techniques and emerging technology tools to make the classroom an engaging place for your students.

Don’t have a trip planned to New York this summer? Contact your local CEE affiliate for workshop opportunities near you.

Help us reach our $200,000 goal!

Time is running out for CEE’s Challenge Grant, which ends June 30. We hope you’ll consider making a donation to CEE so we can continue to support the important work you do. If you contribute before June 30, your gift will be matched through a $200,000 Challenge Grant from one of our generous board members. Those are economics we can all understand! We are only $36,000 away from reaching our goal and we need your help!

As educators, you’ve made a commitment to teaching your students the fourth “R”—a real-world understanding of economics and personal finance. You’ve experienced firsthand the programs offered by the Council for Economic Education—professional workshops, curriculum development, materials and national competitions—and you know their value.

Donate today to CEE’s Challenge Grant and help us reach more teachers and students!